AI illustration
Imagined 1970s film set; not a production photograph from The Deluge.
Crew member
Marcin Kot Bastkowski
Editor of Potop Redivivus (2014).
A new version of an existing film
Marcin Kot Bastkowski edited Potop Redivivus, shortening the completed film in collaboration with Jerzy Hoffman1. He did not edit the 1974 original: that was Zenon Piórecki’s role.
The risk of changing a familiar work
In his Film Archive account, Bastkowski describes fearing damage to an established film and discussing cuts as a partner with the director2. A re-edit works with characters, scenes and rhythms that viewers already know.
Shortening a film requires maintaining causal connections. Removing a scene that explains later behaviour may leave a problem even if the ending survives. The film guide’s account of restoring Kmicic’s meeting with Wołodyjowski offers a concrete example.
What to compare when watching
Compare scene lengths, the presence of secondary characters and how information reaches the viewer. Redivivus is a separate edit; renewing the image does not itself remove scenes. Establish whether you are watching the restored original or the shortened 2014 version before comparing them.
Notes
- Potop Redivivus, Repozytorium Cyfrowe Filmoteki Narodowej, Warszawa: Filmoteka Narodowa – Instytut Audiowizualny
- Jerzy Hoffman; Marcin Kot Bastkowski, „Potop Redivivus”, czyli „Potop odrodzony”, Filmoteka Narodowa – Instytut Audiowizualny, 2014
Related
Related
- The Deluge (1974): Jerzy Hoffman's film Documented
Sources for this page
- Potop Redivivus, Repozytorium Cyfrowe Filmoteki Narodowej, Warszawa: Filmoteka Narodowa – Instytut Audiowizualny (Institution)
- Jerzy Hoffman; Marcin Kot Bastkowski, „Potop Redivivus”, czyli „Potop odrodzony”, Filmoteka Narodowa – Instytut Audiowizualny, 2014 (Primary source)